Agency news you need to know this week

Gut hires first U.S. head of strategy Gut has hired Natalia Dávila as its first head of strategy in the U.S. Dávila takes on the role after most recently serving as strategy contractor at Apple. She also previously held lead strategy roles at agencies 22squared and Crispin Porter + Bogusky. She will report to Sandra Alfaro, who joined Gut as U.S. CEO in September. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Accenture Song buys a Stagwell agency for $245 million Accenture Song has acquired Concentric Life, a healthcare marketing agency, from Stagwell for $245 million, Stagwell announced. The agency currently has more than 270 employees and counts clients in the biopharma space as well. “This disposition is consistent with our strategy of organizing our portfolio to focus on core digital services, including AI-based digital transformation; strengthening our balance sheet; and investing in our future,” Stagwell Chairman and CEO Mark Penn said in a statement. This is the latest in a recent string of acquisitions for Song, which recently acquired commerce agency The Stable, brand and experience agency Romp and consumer insights business Fiftyfive5. Earlier this month, Stagwell announced its acquisition of agency Left Field Labs. T-Mobile signs with CAA The "Un-carrier" has a new sports and entertainment agency of record. The telecom company has named CAA Brand Consulting to handle partnership activations, talent activations and more. “Sports and entertainment sponsorships play a big part in how we bring the Un-carrier story to life for consumers–and as T-Mobile has evolved, so has our sponsorship portfolio. We recently reviewed agency relationships to ensure we’re continuing to leverage unique sponsorship activations to break through as a brand,” said Mike Belcher senior VP business development and partnerships at T-Mobile. T-Mobile previously worked with Acceleration—which remains on the roster—along with 160/90 and Genesco Sports Enterprises. "We'd especially like to thank the incredible teams at 160/90 and Genesco Sports Enterprises for their partnership over the years and the major roles they played in T-Mobile evolving to where it stands today," the company said in a statement. Canadian Centre for Child Protection PSA warns of online predators Parents will do anything to keep their children safe, but with the fast-paced growth of technology, keeping up can be difficult. A new PSA from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) warns parents about online dangers to children. According to the organization, reports of online sexual luring of Canadian kids skyrocketed 815% in five years. With October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, C3P teamed up with No Fixed Address for “The Horse,” a campaign to remind parents of the pervasive threats to children with unfettered access to smart devices. The campaign was designed to mobilize parents to demand legislative change by educating them about digital sexual predators. The accompanying spot slowly walks the viewer down a long dark hallway while retelling the story about how the Greeks defeated the Trojans by building a wooden horse to infiltrate the city of Troy. But as the story climaxes with the soldiers flooding from the horse to attack the city, the camera pans to a young girl asleep in her bed as her phone lights up in the darkness. The metaphor is clear: predators can infiltrate a child’s phone if families are not vigilant. Media placements in movie theaters, major dailies and online platforms encourage parents to take a short survey and get governments across the world to step up and act. Arts & Letters hires head of production Arts & Letters is expanding beyond its Richmond, Virginia, headquarters with the hiring of Lisa Gatto Setten as head of production for the entire agency. The first member of the Arts & Letters team to be based in New York, Gatto Setten will report to founder and executive creative director Charles Hodges. Before Arts & Letters, Gatto Setten was senior VP, executive director of integrated production for MullenLowe US, where she oversaw the agency’s production offices across brands such as Acura, Corona, E-Trade, JetBlue and KFC. Before that, she was the head of integrated production at J. Walter Thompson New York. “Her experience speaks for itself and we are thrilled to see the impact she has on the amazing group of producers we have and the company overall,” Hodges said in a statement. Zulu Alpha Kilo NY bolsters creative team Zulu Alpha Kilo has made several key creative hires in its New York office. The creative director team Vic Bath and Dan Cummings come from the agency’s Toronto office, where they had developed Cannes Lions-winning campaigns such as Harley Davidson’s “Tough Turban” activation. The South African creative team of Lizzie Cox and Tilden Lincoln join from Hill Holiday in Boston, which was their first U.S.-based role. The pair joined forces several years ago at TBWA\Hunt Lascaris and brought South Africa its first Glass Lion at Cannes, with a visceral look at victim blaming in rape culture. These hires come as Zulu Alpha Kilo continues to win new business including Booking.com, OperaGX and Gas Leaks. Subscribe to Ad Age Sign up now for the latest industry news and analysis Click here Just Briefly The National Park Foundation, which promotes and protects over 400 national parks in the U.S., has chosen Known as its lead creative strategic agency partner. The decision was made without a formal review, according to a spokeswoman for Known. The identity of the previous agency could not be learned at deadline. Godfrey Dadich Partners, a media company that is part of the Kyu Collective, has appointed Thomas Ellingson as its first chief operating officer. He joins from Landor & Fitch, where he served as general manager of their West Coast region. Stagwell’s Code and Theory has hired Anil Hari as its first head of data, analytics and AI. He most recently served as a VP, technology solutions for Data Analytics company DataFactZ. Helzberg Diamonds has chosen Walz Tetrick Advertising to lead local media strategies and buying. The agency’s remit includes account management, media planning and buying, research and general marketing consultation. Horizon Media previously held the account.

Agency news you need to know this week

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